


The Long Way Home

by firegrilled



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Keith and Shiro finally having some much needed alone time to talk, M/M, Season 6 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 00:05:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15036263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firegrilled/pseuds/firegrilled
Summary: Taking place moments after Shiro returns, everyone prepares for the trip back to Earth. While escorting Shiro back to the Black Lion, Keith and him have a much needed heart to heart. And mouth to mouth.





	The Long Way Home

“Is everyone packed? Earth is quite the journey from this star cluster so remember to stop and stretch your legs. Your lions can find habitable planets in case you need to- well you know,” Coran paused, looking around the barren landscape. “Speaking of which.”

Everyone watched as Coran sped towards a large boulder and hid behind it. The echo of a zipper compelled the paladins and their friends to immediately stop paying attention.

“Green is good to go but it’s kind a cramped. Do you guys have space for the others?” Pidge asked, glancing towards Krolia and Romelle.

Lance nodded. “Red is ready. I have plenty of room if someone wants to join.”

Romelle briefly looked at Lance, just long enough to see the paladin wink at her. She pressed her lips together and faced away.

“Yellow has space. And food. Plenty of that,” Hunk chimed in.

“Blue also has space, though I do have the mice. They are quite friendly though,” Allura spoke, cheerfully smiling when the aforementioned mice popped out of her hair. “They don’t take up much space thankfully.”

“I’d like to travel with Princess Allura. There is much we need to discuss about the Galra that she should be aware of,” Krolia volunteered, stepping forward. She frowned, staring back at her son.  
Keith offered a tiny smile, gesturing to Shiro. “The Black Lion will be full with Shiro and Wolf.”

“Wolf?” The other Paladins simultaneously reacted, their jaws dropping.

“Yeah, that’s his name,” Keith shrugged, kneeling down to pet the cosmic creature. When he noticed his friends’ slack-jawed appearance he quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

“N-nothing,” Lance waved a hand in the air. Recomposing himself, he turned back toward Romelle and flashed a smile. “Did I mention Red is the fastest of the bunch?”

“Perfect!” Coran said as he appeared from behind the boulder, much more chipper than before. He ran over to the group, stopping next to Lance. “We’ll need that speed to make up for lost time.”

“Huh? But I-” Lance tried to argue until Coran leaned in.

“My body ain’t what it used to be, if you catch my drift,” Coran whispered. Elbowing Lance, he pointed at the Red lion. “No time to lose, let’s go.”

“Aw quiznack,” Lance replied in a defeated tone, hanging his head.

While the others chuckled at his misfortune, Pidge waved to the group and retreated to her lion.

“In that case I’ll travel with... Hunk was it?” Romelle furrowed her brow, trying to recall the Paladin’s name.

Hunk nodded and pointed towards the lion. “That’s right. This might seem out of left field but do you know Altean cuisine? The Castle of Lions had many books but did your colony have their own dishes?”

The two returned to the Yellow lion, quickly lost in discussion.

A groan from the ground drew the remaining group’s attention. Shiro’s eyes blinked open, staring at Allura momentarily before falling back to Keith.

“Shiro? Are you strong enough to make it to the Black lion?” Allura asked with a concerned look on her face.

“Y-yeah,” Shiro answered, propping himself up onto his elbows.

Hesitating for a moment, Allura let out a held breath and glanced back to Krolia. “Let us make haste.”

With those words the pair returned to Allura’s lion, leaving Shiro with Keith and Wolf. The other lions slowly took off one after another. Struggling under his own weight, Shiro readjusted himself into a sitting position.

Frowning at his friend’s struggles, Keith offered a hand.

Shiro’s eyes widened for a moment before returning a warm smile. He grabbed Keith’s hand. A cool breeze blew past him as he found himself hoisted to his feet. While a small sensation, it was the first he felt in a long time. Shiro savored the old but familiar feeling.

Testing his luck, Shiro tried to walk forward. He barely made it a step before he almost crumpled under his own weight. Some swift maneuvering prevented him from hitting the ground. Instead, Shiro found himself leaning into Keith with his arm around his neck.

“Thanks,” Shiro muttered, holding back a cough.

“Take it easy. You just got your body back,” Keith advised, taking slow strides back to the lion. “Don't push yourself.” 

“Funny, coming from you,” Shiro chuckled, immediately groaning from the pain. As they hobbled along, he did a once over of his friend. “Did you grow?”

“A little bit. Time dilation stuff when we found Romelle and Wolf,” Keith explained. He kept his gaze trained ahead.

“Wolf?” Shiro asked, glancing down to see the cosmic creature tagging along. When he tried to chuckle again he broke down coughing. The pair stopped until Shiro could regain control of himself. “I’m fine, I’m fine... That’s quite a fitting name.”

“I know, right?” Keith grinned, the compliment warming his heart. Hearing Shiro speak like himself stirred the butterflies in his stomach.

“I’ve always liked that about you, always blunt,” Shiro teased, causing Keith’s cheeks to tint red.

A comfortable but familiar silence accompanied the two back to the lion. The Black Lion laid down to allow the two inside its mouth. When they reached the cockpit, Wolf scurried over to the pilot seat. Keith gently helped Shiro against one of the side panels. As he leaned back up, Shiro grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. Puzzled by the gesture, Keith allowed himself to drift downward.

“Shiro?”

The Black Paladin traced a knuckle along the scar on Shiro’s cheek. “We match.”

Keith rolled his eyes and peered down at Shiro. “Yeah but you have white hair now.”

“I do?” Shiro looked at one of the panels and squinted. When he processed his reflection in the metal his eyes widened. “Oh wow. Now I look even older.”

“I wouldn’t say older but it looks good though,” Keith spoke faster than his mind could process the words. When he realized what he said he quickly clamped his mouth shut, his blush returning even darker than before.

Missing Keith’s initial reaction, Shiro stared at himself even longer. “I guess I look more like Allura now.”

Shiro faced Keith one more, catching his friend in his embarrassed state.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Letting out a deep breath, Shiro’s hand reach further up and grabbed Keith’s collar. He pulled him even closer. “Thank you. For never giving up on me, even when I tried to kill you.”

“That wasn’t you,” Keith averted his gaze as memories of the fight returned. “But you would’ve done the same for me.”

“I know but it doesn’t change the fact you did it. I saw it all through the Black Lion,” Shiro admitted.

Shock brought Keith’s eyes back to Shiro’s.

“Everything?” Keith’s quiet voice barely registered with Shiro.

Shiro’s hand snaked its way behind Keith’s neck and threaded itself into his hair, gently pressing him forward. Shiro felt for any sign of resistance, any sense of hesitation. When he found none, he leaned up to meet Keith partway. A chaste kiss on the lips sent electricity through their nerves.

“I love you too,” Shiro whispered, pulling back from Keith. Before Keith could process the information, Shiro’s eyes fluttered shut. A restful smile appeared on his face.

Keith pressed a finger to his lips as his emotions tugged at his heartstrings. he only had seconds to cherish the moment before his comms beeped.

“Keith, is everything alright? My radar shows you haven’t left the planet yet,” Allura’s concerned voice echoed in his ear.

“Yes,” Keith replied, clearing his throat. “Just took a bit longer than I thought to get Shiro in the lion. “I’m leaving soon.”

“Be careful. We've picked up Galra ships entering the system and we don’t know if they’re friend or foe. Fly low and avoid contact with any Galra ship.”

Taking a seat, Keith grabbed the control. “Gotcha, we’re taking the long way home then.”

Glancing back one last time, Keith’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Wolf curled up next to Shiro.

**Author's Note:**

> Might be my first time attempting Sheith and it's definitely different from the other pairings I've written. The end of season 6 left me wanting more so I felt compelled to finish it a short but sweet way. Please let me know what you think and if I captured the spirit of the relationship between the two.


End file.
